Last week, in support of World AIDS Day, Grammy winner and Keep A Child Alive founder, Alicia Keys teamed up with some of her high-profile celebrity friends to sacrifice their social media lives for the real lives of those living with HIV/AIDS.
With a goal to raise $1 million, the celebrities signed off of their social networks and vowed only to return after the donations were raised. Donations were a slow-go at first, taking a week to raise $500K from the public. Then, with a generous match from pharmaceutical mogul and philanthropist Stewart Rahr, Keys and her friends were b(r)ought ”back to life.” Over 3,000 fans have also joined in on the martyrdom, including Taylor Green who has been dead for 25 days and raised the most money by a fan ($2,253, almost half of his $5,000 goal).
I applaud the effort, especially the innovative use of a buzz marketing to bring awareness and promote online giving, however I wasn’t a total fan of the promotional photos (seen above) that were shot for the campaign. The campaigns slogan, “The more you buy the more you save” seems appropriate and applicable for the intended beneficiaries of KCA – mainly, India and Africa – where money provides “the essential nutrition, shelter, support and education to help ensure those [treatment] pills are taken properly and effectively.” However, the HIV/AIDS message in industrialized societies is one of prevention and education that encourages people to take advantage of resources that help them learn their status and live a healthy life in spite of a positive diagnosis. Superficial and glamorized images of death may send a mixed message of what death looks like for those in Africa and India, and what life should look like for anyone with the disease. Although, some may argue the idea of being able to digitally die and be resurrected by the actions of others is superficial (and possibly reckless) in itself, even if it is for a good cause.
Posted on December 6, 2010
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